Display unit



R- C- POTTER Dec. 20, 1966 DISPLAY UNIT Filed Aug. 27, 1964 MR mm WT mmC. H D. L A R 9 ATTORNEYS United States Patent Filed Aug. 21, 1964, Ser.No. 392,444 6 Claims. c1. 40-1241 This invention relates to a displayunit for use as a shipping container as well as a product display anddispenser at point of purchase.

Heretofore, in the use of an easel display accompanied by a container,it has been customary to provide the display portion and the containeras separate parts and attach the container to the display by gluing orstapling or some other additional operation. This additional operationusually exceeded the cost of the entire unit.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a sales display cardand a dispensing container for merchandise all of one piece of materialwithout the need for gluing or separately attaching the container andthe display card.

Another object of the invention is to provide from a single piece ofsheet stock, which may be pointed on one side and be die cut or scoredin one operation on the same side of the stock and of a shape which maybe folded into a display card of substantial size with a smallercontainer as an integral part thereof utilizing the display card as onewall of the container.

Another object of the invention is to provide in a unit of the abovecharacter flaps which may be interlocked so as to provide the containerwhich serves to mount the display card in an easel fashion vw'thinterlocking means which will avoid the need for additional gluing orstapling of the parts in position.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device which may havesuch parts as legs for the display formed from the container formerchandise by suitably cutting the sheet stock from which the device isformed without the need of any additional separate parts attachedthereto.

With these and other objects in View, the invention consists of certainother novel features of construction as will be more fully described andparticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the display unit embodying thisinvention in one form;

FIG. 2 is a blank from which this easel is formed;

FIG. 3 is a blank incorporating additional parts from which the easeldisplay may be folded; and

FIG. 4 is an edge view with parts broken away showing the blank of FIG.3 folded to provide the easel display unit.

In proceeding with this invention, I provide from sheet stock, such ascardboard or plastic, a display unit with parts attached to the lowerportion thereof and which may be folded with reference to the displaycard so as to form a container with the display card as one wallthereof, which container will serve to support the unit in an easellikefashion for display, while the container may also be used for shipping,dispensing, storing, or receiving articles for sale as occasion mayrequire.

With reference to the drawings and particularly FIGS. 1 and 2, a frontdisplay wall is provided from sheet material such as cardboard which isdesigned to be of a thickness so as to be self-supporting whenpositioned subtantially upright. This front wall display has a top edge11, a bottom edge 12 and opposite side edges 14.

A container designated generally 15 is provided at the lower rearportion of this front wall display 10 by folding from the stock at theedges of the front display wall parts, or other walls, to provide acontainer as an integral part of the display face. In the presentinstance the container is illustrated as being primarily formed byfolding a bottom wall from the bottom edge 12 of the front display wall10 although it will be apparent that other edges may be utilized forhinge connection of the parts of the container. In the present instancea second, and in this case a bottom, wall is designated as 20, and thelower edge 12 of the front wall 10 is scored to provide a fold line 21as seen in FIG. 2, while the edges 22 and 23 are out completely throughso as to provide legs 24 at the lower edge of the front display wall 10.This second wall, and in this case the bottom, is folded along thescored line 21 to extend substantially at right angles to the displayfront wall 10, and this second or bottom wall has a third or rear wall25 folded from it along the fold line 26 so that it will extend upwardlyfrom the second or bottom wall 20 substantially parallel to the frontdisplay wall 10 as clearly seen in FIG. 1.

Side walls may be formed for bridging the space between the front wall10 and the third or rear wall 25 by folding them from the edges of oneof the Walls heretofore provided, and in the case illustrated in FIG. 2,the side or fourth walls 27 are formed along the opposite side edges 14of the front display wall and are folded rear- Wardly along the scorelines 28 so as to extend from the front wall from which they are foldedto the rear wall 25 and may be held in this position by any suitablemeans. One such means may be by flaps 29 folded along score lines 30which extend from the rear or third Wall 25 and are so cut as at 31 thatthey may extend through slits 32 in the side walls 27 and lockthemselves in position as seen in FIG. 1, thus providing a containerhaving bottom front, back and side walls with an open top.

In some cases, in addition to the provisions of fourth or side Walls 27there may be additional side walls 27' (FIG. 3), which may also bereferred to as fourth Walls, provided on the ends of the bottom wall 20and which are folded up at right angles thereto along the score lines 35as seen in FIG. 3, in which case these modified side walls will belocated just inside the side walls 27 when the box is folded up and willbe held in position by the interlocking of the tabs 29 with the walls 27by reason of the slits 32 as above referred to. Additionally, there maybe provided a top Wall for the container designated 37 which extendsfrom the rear wall 25 and is folded therefrom along the score line 38and which may be folded inwardly from the rear or third wall 25 alongthis score line 38 so as to extend to substantially the back surface ofthe front wall 10. This top Wall is there secured by reason of a flap 39tucked in along the rear surface of the front wall so as to hold thistop wall 37 in position by friction. As will be seen in FIG. 4, thisflap is provided by the folding along the line 40 of its connection tothe top wall 37.

In some cases it is desirable to provide a cutout opening 45 in thefront display Wall into which merchandise or leaflets may be placed soas to have their upper portion extend along the front surface of thefront display wall where they may be easily grasped, While the lowerportion of the merchandise or leaflets will extend along the backsurface of the front display wall and be located in the container 15. Aflap 46 hinged along the score line 47 may serve as a die cut holder ofmerchandise or a temporary closure for this opening. In the case that atop wall is also provided such as 37, an opening 48 will be provided forthe reception of the merchandise or leaflets through the top wall to belocated in the container 15.

In some cases the container may house a spool of fishing line or otherspooled products, and in this event the reel may be located in thecontainer with the fishing line or wire projecting through a hole 50 inthe front display wall that serves as a dispensing unit of the productsand be secured along the face of the display by an inverted U-shape slit51 in the container. In the event that there for the extent that theselegs project beyond the fold line 21. It will also be apparent to thoseskilled in this art that this box may be provided by having wallportions attached to the side edges rather than the bottom edge of thedisplay so that the second, third and fourth walls may be varied to someextent by this hinging relationship, all of which may cooperate toprovide a container which will serve as an easel for a much largerdisplay wall and also form one side of the box of the container.

It will also be apparent that any configuration may be used for thevarious flaps and extensions which when folded and folded upon eachother will result in such form and obverse shapes of internal divisionsand subdivisions flats and brackets as may be desired for the particularuse intended.

I claim:

1. A display unit comprising a single sheet of material having a frontdisplay wall with bottom and side edges, a bottom wall extendingrearwardly from said bottom edge and joined thereto by a fold of thesheet materiaal, a rear wall joined to the bottom wall by a fold of thesheet material and extending from the bottom wall generally parallel tothe front wall, opposite spaced side walls bridging said front and rearwalls and joined to one of said walls by a fold of the sheet material,means to hold said walls in substantially right angular relation toprovide a container, said container serving as a support for said frontdisplay wall in an easel-like fashion, said front display wall havinglegs extending below the fold line joining it with the bottom wall,which legs are formed by cutting out portions of the bottom wall.

2. A display unit comprising a single sheet of material having a frontdisplay wall with bottom and side edges, a bottom wall extendingrearwardly from said bottom edge and joined thereto by a fold of thesheet material, a rear wall joined to the bottom wall by a fold of thesheet material and extending from the bottom wall generally parallel tothe front wall, opposite spaced side walls bridging said front and rearwalls and joined to one of said walls by a fold of the sheet material,means to hold said walls in substantially right angular relation toprovide a container, said container serving as a supportfor said frontdisplay wall in an easel-like fashion, said display Wall having anopening there'through at a location above the container for positioningarticles of merchandise through the opening and into the container.

3. A display unit as in claim 2 wherein a flap hinged to an edge of saidopening closes said opening and may swing to permit articles tobe passedtherethrough.

4. A display unit as in claim 2 whereina top wall is hinged to said rearwall to provide a cover for said container and said top wall has anopening registering with the opening in the front wall for passage ofarticles therethrough into said container.

5. A display unit comprising a single sheet of material having a frontdisplay wall with bottom and side edges, a bottom wall extendingrearwardly from said bottom edge and joined thereto by a fold of thesheet material,

a rear wall joined to the bottom wall by a fold of the sheet materialand extending from the bottom wall generally parallel to the front wall,side walls bridging said front and rear walls and joined to one of saidwalls by a fold of the sheet material, means to hold said walls insubstantially right angular relation to provide a container,

said container serving as a support for said front display,

wall in an easel-like fashion, a hole in said display wall through whicha strand of material may be passed from a supply in said container.

6. A display unit as in claim 5 wherein there'are slit means in saiddisplay wall to hold a strand in place when positioned over the face ofsaid display wall.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,463,585 7/1923Kellog 40124.1 2,401,615 6/1946 Chittum 40124.1.

FOREIGN PATENTS 858,345 5/ 1940 France.

EUGENE R. CAPOZIO, Primary Examiner.

W. I. CONTRERAS, Assistant'Examiner.

1. A DISPLAY UNIT COMPRISING A SINGLE SHEET OF MATERIAL HAVING A FRONTDISPLAY WALL WITH BOTTOM AND SIDE EDGES, A BOTTOM WALL EXTENDINGREARWARDLY FROM SAID BOTTOM EDGE AND JOINED THERETO BY A FOLD OF THESHEET MATERIAL, A REAR WALL JOINED TO THE BOTTOM WALL BY A FOLD OF THESHEET MATERIAL AND EXTENDING FROM THE BOTTOM WALL GENERALLY PARALLEL TOTHE FRONT WALL, OPPOSITE SPACED SIDE WALLS BRIDGING SAID FRONT AND REARWALLS AND JOINED TO ONE OF SAID WALLS BY A FOLD OF THE SHEET MATERIAL,MEANS TO HOLD SAID WALLS IN SUBSTANTIALLY RIGHT ANGULAR RELATION TOPROVIDE A CONTAINER, SAID CONTAINER SERVING AS A SUPORT FOR SAID FRONTDISPLAY WALL IN AN EASEL-LIKE FASHION, SAID FRONT DISPLAY WALL HAVINGLEGS EXTENDING BELOW THE FOLD LINE JOINING IT WITH THE BOTTOM WALL,WHICH LEGS ARE FORMED BY CUTTING OUT PORTIONS OF THE BOTTOM WALL.